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by Breadshoe, orphan_account



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: A little bit of soulmate au action as well, AU where everyone is either a little or a caregiver, Age Play, Bathing/Washing, Diapers, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Character, Non-Sexual Age Play, Wetting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-30 06:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14491323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breadshoe/pseuds/Breadshoe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Carol was never the most patient with littles. Children were no problem, in fact she loved them, especially her own darling Rindy. Littles were a whole other story, though. So why was she unable to get the girl from the department store out of her head? She wondered how young she'd be in little space or how cute she'd look in pigtails. Carol sighed and downed the rest of her martini in one gulp, looking outside as the wind rustled the trees. She had no choice but to see this girl again.Carol AU where everything starts the same but with a fun addition of age play! Things will eventually go in an original direction.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome to my story! I rewatched Carol recently and these two characters are just so fit for age play fics I decided to write my own. I'm not exactly the best writer so please do be patient with my updates and overall writing ability. This story has been stuck in my head for the past few days so I just wanted to get it out there and write it down.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)

Carol loathed shopping; it just made her so incredibly nervous. Especially when it was for Rindy. She absolutely loved to spoil her daughter rotten and this Christmas would be like many others so she had to make sure everything was perfect.

She wandered through the aisles, looking for the doll Rindy had asked her for last time she saw her before Harge had come to steal her away yet again. Lost in the thoughts of her divorce, she found herself by a large train set, children and littles running all around her.

She looked up and found her eyes locked on those of another, a young girl no older than 20. They held each other's stares and Carol found she wanted nothing more than to talk to her. Her legs began to move without much thought, bringing her closer to the young girl on the other side of the store.

As she approached she saw the girl’s eyes go wide and her cheeks flush slightly. She was...adorable, Carol thought. No other descriptor seemed to pop into Carol’s mind as she finished her slow approach to the doe eyed girl.

She slapped her gloves down softly on the counter, the noise made the girl in front of her avert her gaze and jump slightly as she looked down at them. Carol cleared her throat, wanting those large blue eyes back on her. She waited until they held a stare once again before beginning to speak.

“I wonder if you might help me find this doll for my daughter?” Carol asked, sliding a picture of the doll in question to the girl. She took it quickly, looking almost careful to not have their fingers touched, a look of almost disappointment on her face. The look confused Carol. The brunette looked down at it in thought. “Bright Betsy.” She mumbled in reply, before realization dawned on her. “Oh, she cries,” she paused to look back up at Carol, her eyes filled with mirth, “and wets herself.”

Carol smiled down at the mischievous smirk upon the girl’s lips and they shared a brief chuckle. The girl’s face turned more serious, though, as she handed the paper back to Carol. “But, I’m afraid we’re all out of stock.” And she actually looked sorry to tell Carol this.

She took the paper back from the clerk and sighed. “I’ve left it too long.” Carol muttered to herself. Before she could speak again, the adorable clerk was flitting about towards some of the other dolls. “Well, we have plenty of other dolls.” She said hopefully, looking towards Carol. “Um, all kinds actually.”

Carol thought she looked quite flustered. Taking a gamble, Carol cut her off to ask kindly, “What’s your favorite doll when you’re little?” She wasn’t 100% certain that the girl in front of her was a little, but Carol had a hunch she was correct based off the clerk’s actions thus far. Her guess was proven correct as she watched the girl fidget with her hands and avoid eye contact.

“Me?” She asked shyly, looking at the dolls around her and their price tags. Before Carol could affirm, she continued on. “I never...not many, to be honest.” She finished quietly. She looked back up at Carol, looking hopeful that she hadn’t angered her.

Carol smiled at the girl kindly before an idea came to her. “What do you want when you’re little?” She rephrased her earlier question, hoping to get an idea for Rindy and to learn more about the brunette.

The clerk’s eyes lit up almost immediately, a large grin on her face. “A train set.” She answered rather quickly. Carol didn’t get a chance to reply before the brunette was shooting off into a sales pitch about the new set they had in store. Carol almost wondered if the girl was just doing this to get the sale of one of the most expensive items in the department. One look into her eyes, though, and Carol could see the genuine emotion behind them.

“Do you ship?” Carol cut her off with an apologetic smile. The girl faltered a bit, her face flushing as she realized her tangent. “Special delivery. You could have it in two or three days. They’d even assemble it for you.” She answered sweetly.

“Well, that’s that. Sold.” She replied with a smirk. She straightened up, ready to fill out the shipping forms, though the girl seemed lost in space. Carol found it absolutely adorable. They held eye contact for a bit before Carol decided to break it by speaking.

“Shall I pay now?” She asked softly, hoping not to embarrass the girl too much. Her plan against embarrassment didn’t seem to work as the brunette’s face grew bright red as she squeaked out a soft, “Oh! Yes, of course.”

Carol watched her as she grabbed the forms and began to fill them out. There really wasn’t any other word besides adorable to describe this girl. The way she carefully dotted her i’s when writing, the way her nose scrunched as she tried to remember her employee number, and especially the way she gripped the counter tightly as Carol’s perfume wafted towards her after fixing her fur coat. Carol actually had to resist the urge to pet the girl’s head. How embarrassing would that be?

The girl passed the forms over to her and explained how to fill them out. She let the girl explain fully before beginning to fill out the form. As she was filling out her address she realized she would have no reason to stay after she was done filling it out.

She found herself rambling about Christmas, presents, and turkey. She looked up to see if the girl thought she was crazy, but instead she found the brunette eagerly listening. What an odd girl, Carol thought to herself. Who in their right mind was that interested in the Christmas ramblings of a customer.

Soon enough she had all the sections filled in. With a sigh, she passed the forms over the counter. As the brunette filled in the rest and got her purchasing form for her she attempted one last conversation, not yet ready to say goodbye.

“Where’d you learn so much about train sets?” She asked, hoping to see the light from earlier in the girl’s eyes. Instead, the girl continued to look down as she finished up. “Oh, I read,” she answered. “Too much, probably.” She finished with a chuckle.

  
Carol reached forward to grab the purchasing ticket. “That’s refreshing.” She replied and smiled at the girl. She tried to angle her hand when taking the receipt so their fingers would touch, but it almost seemed as though the clerk tried to avoid such a thing from occurring by moving her hand back slightly. Carol tried not to think much of it as she placed the ticket in her purse.

She knew it was time to walk away. She didn’t have anything else to say or to purchase so standing there wasn’t an option. She looked into the girl’s eyes and husked, “Merry Christmas,” closed her bag and waited until the sentiment was returned before walking away.

She battled with herself not to turn around. But she just wanted one last glimpse of the girl before never seeing her again. The internal battle was lost as she turned around. She looked at the girl at the counter and pointed towards her own head. “I like the hat.” She whispered with a wink, causing the girl to turn bright red and smile shyly.

That was the last thing Carol needed as she continued to walk away. Now that image of the adorable clerk would be stuck in her head for the rest of the day. Why hadn’t she asked for her name? Or when her shift ended?

A little bumped into her as they ran past, forcing her to take a step back to right herself. The caregiver apologized profusely which Carol just waved off. That little reminded her exactly why she didn’t push further in knowing the clerk. She didn’t need a little, she had Rindy. And the girl most likely had a caregiver of her own.

Carol didn’t see much point in getting to know littles when each little and each caregiver had a match out there in the world. Why be with someone when they would only leave you in the end to find their other half. It’s what Abby did to her even after she swore up and down that she didn’t care about having a little. And now it’s what Harge was doing to her as well.

She shook the negative thoughts from her mind and continued shopping. She found herself in the skii department, looking for a new warm coat for Rindy. Her eyes stopped on a heavy men’s coat, forcing her mind back to her husband. Soon to be ex-husband. At the beginning of their courtship he talked on and on about how he never wanted a little. All he wanted were biological children and a wife to raise them with. And Carol thought that was exactly what she wanted as well. Things were fine in the beginning, great even! She had long ago given up the hope of finding her little and she thought Harge had felt the same.

One night after Rindy had gone to bed, Harge had helped Carol pick up the young girl’s toys. She grabbed one of Rindy’s bears and stared at it with a soft smile. She knew it to be her daughter’s favorite. She lovingly brushed the hair out of its eyes and kissed its head before putting it away in the bin. She looked up to see Harge staring at her with a look in his eyes that she still couldn’t name. “Would you like one of your own, Honey?” He asked in the same tone he used to speak to Rindy.

They both froze, Carol in light disgust and Harge in horror and embarrassment. Carol wanted to slap him, scream in his face, anything to let him know how hurt she was. Instead she stood up and looked down at him, her face void of emotions. “We can pretend nothing happened here.” She offered quietly. But Harge wanted none of that. He wanted to talk; to explain himself. And Carol let him.

He spoke for hours about how he wanted them to have a little together. How much he loved Rindy but he felt something was missing from his life and he was almost sure a little would fill that missing piece. Carol only looked on in anger, fighting hard not to let him see the sadness underneath. He told her she would be enough and she believed it.

The next morning she told him she wanted a divorce.

.. .. ..

Later that night Carol sat alone in her home, tracing the receipt in her hand. She had tried to distract herself earlier with Rindy and it has worked just fine. Now with her daughter in bed all she could think about was the brunette from Frankenberg’s.

Carol was never the most patient with littles. Children were no problem, in fact she loved them, especially her own darling Rindy. Littles were a whole other story, though. So why was she unable to get the girl from the department store out of her head? She wondered how young she'd be in little space or how cute she'd look in pigtails. Carol sighed and downed the rest of her martini in one gulp, looking outside as the wind rustled the trees. She had no choice but to see this girl again.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol never even realized her gloves had been missing until she opened a mail parcel and found them inside. Harge had been going on and on at the time about some party and how she was expected to attend. Instead of paying attention to him, her mind was on nothing other than the gloves. Particularly, who had returned them. 

Employee 645-A. That’s who had signed the card. The numbers seemed familiar and she tried hard to place them in her mind. Was that the employee who had helped her in the skii department? Or maybe it was the man in the children’s clothing department. He had seemed friendly enough. She didn’t dare wonder if it was the girl from the toy department. She wouldn’t allow herself to get her hopes up in such a way. 

“Say you’ll come.” Harge’s insistence forced Carol to pay attention to him once again. She looked down at Rindy in his lap and delicately stroked her hair. “I’ll see if I can rearrange with Abby.” She answered with a sigh. 

And with that Harge was out the door, taking Rindy with him. She sank back in her chair with a huff and looked back down at her gloves. She knew she wouldn’t stop thinking, wouldn’t stop hoping, until she found out for sure who had sent them. But first she had to call Abby. 

.. .. .. 

The phone call had gone on much longer than Carol originally thought it would, though she really shouldn’t have been surprised. Abby sure did love to gab. This time she was going on and on about some woman in a bar she had met. The woman was a caregiver who apparently had already met her destined little boy. Carol was surprised that Abby hadn’t run to the hills, but she guessed Abby must have been serious about wanting a little in her life.    
They had fought about it years ago, resulting in their own break up, but that was years ago. Carol was surprised her friend hadn’t simply given up like she had. 

She went to call Frankenberg’s to find out who had returned her gloves but stopped to look at the clock beforehand. It was already well into the evening, Harge and Rindy would be back soon and the department store was probably close to closing if it hadn’t already.    
Carol sighed in frustration, resigning to wait until the next day to call and thank the employee who had returned her gloves. Instead she started on making dinner, waiting for Rindy to come home. 

.. .. .. 

Rindy and Harge arrived shortly after she had finished making the meal. She made enough for Harge as well, but he opted to go, claiming he had a prior dinner engagement. Carol didn’t fight him on it, not really in the mood to entertain him anyway.

Rindy was delighted with her choice of dinner, excited to tell her all about ice skating. Carol listened attentively, asking questions and offering praises when appropriate. Soon enough, Rindy was off playing and Carol was left to clean the kitchen. She cleaned quickly and thoroughly, keeping an ear open for her daughter. 

Eventually Rindy was put to bed, with Carol following soon after. She lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, too nervous and excited for the next day. She chastised herself silently, knowing that getting her hopes up was a silly and lost cause. 

And what if it was the girl from the toy department? What would she do? She didn’t know the answer to that question and thinking about it kept her up much later than she had originally planned. Late into the night she finally fell asleep, a clear game plan in her mind.

.. .. ..

It wasn’t until a little after lunch the next day that she finally had a second of peace to call the department store. She may have been cooking lunch for her and Rindy, but it was now or never. She called up the number and gave the woman on the other line the employee number. She waited a few minutes, bouncing on her toes while listening to the soft music on the other line.

“Hello?” She heard on the other end. A bright smile graced her face as she realized it was in fact the girl who had returned her gloves. “So, it was you.” She breathed into the phone with a dreamy sigh. She was going to say more, but the girl beat her to it with a polite, “Oh, hello, Mrs. Aird. Did you receive the train set alright?” The girl was so polite and Carol could practically hear the smile in her voice. 

“I did. Yes.” Carol responded. “And the gloves. Thank you so much. You’re a good girl for sending them.” She stirred the pot of soup she was making as she spoke, trying to distract herself from just blurting out an invitation to her home. She hadn’t meant to call the girl a ‘good girl’ and swallowed a little in embarrassment. Instead of letting Therese answer, she continued on.

“I just wanted to say thank you, really.” To which the girl replied, “Of course,” rather quickly. Carol found herself stuttering through the next part. “Well, what I wanted to say was,” she paused and wanted to smack herself silly for her embarrassment. “Do you get a lunch hour there? Well, let me take you to lunch. It’s the least I could do.” 

And now she was just left hoping. The girl stuttered through a response, bringing a smile to Carol’s face. “Well, yes, I...of course, but...you really don’t have to.” She responded. 

“I’m free tomorrow.” Carol supplied, hoping the girl would say yes.

“Tomorrow?” She asked. 

“Do you know Scotty’s on Madison?” Carol continued on. And thankfully the girl agreed. Carol gave her the address as the girl wrote it down. Once she was done the girl gave her a polite goodbye and voiced her excitement for the next day. Carol agreed and then the line went dead. She kept the phone in her hands for a beat, not believing her luck. 

Not only had it been the adorable sales clerk, but now she successfully asked her to lunch. The two of them would be getting a meal together, just the two of them, and in only one day’s time. One whole day’s time. 

.. .. .. 

Carol was running late. The traffic coming into New York City had been brutal and it didn’t get much better once she was actually in the city. She parked quickly across the street from Scotty’s and jumped out of her car, half jogging across the street. 

She made her way inside and took her scarf off, looking around for the department store clerk. Her eyes finally locked on the other girl’s and she approached. “Ready?” She asked, looking down at the seated girl. She nodded her head and stood up to follow Carol to their seat. Once they sat, Carol began speaking again.

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.” She apologized to the girl before ordering her meal. She looked down into her bag and smiled as the girl across from her stuttered through an order of the same. Carol placed a cigarette in her mouth and hesitated before offering one up to the other girl as well. To Carol’s surprise, she took one. So she lit hers and then let her own. 

“So what kind of name is Belivet?” Carol found herself asking. She remembered the woman at Frankenberg’s had referred to her as Miss Belivet when she was on the phone. She listened to the girl’s answer before cutting her off.

“And your first name?” She asked, ready to finally put a name to the face that’s been haunting her waking thoughts for days. 

“Therese.” She answered softly, making eye contact. 

“Therese,” Carol responded, loving the sound of the name on her lips. “Not Theresa?” She asked. She loved the sound of Therese and the other name just didn’t feel right in her mouth. She wasn’t surprised, but still thankful when Therese answered in the negative. Carol spoke her name against, fully this time. She couldn’t get enough of the girl’s name. “It’s lovely.” She commented, never breaking eye contact with the girl in front of her.

She took a slow drag of her cigarette as Therese asked for her name in return. 

“Carol.” She answered, loving to hear her name spoken back to her. Carol was about to ask another question when their drinks were placed in front of them. She brought her own martini up and clinked it with Therese’s as they offered up cheers to the other. She took a quick sip, watching as Therese took a hesitant sip herself. She wondered if the girl drank often and if she had a caregiver, did they let her drink?

“So, I’m sure you thought it was a man who sent you back your gloves.” Therese commented shyly. Carol chuckled at the words. “Hmm. I did.” She answered. “Thought it might have been a man in the ski department.” She supplied further. 

“I’m sorry.” Therese said with a laugh. Oh, how Carol wanted to see that laugh again. “No, I’m delighted. I doubt very much I would’ve gone to lunch with him.” She said, rubbing her neck slightly. Therese commented on the scent of her perfume which brought the conversation to Harge, a topic Carol wanted nothing to do with. She made sure to assure the girl they were divorcing, though she didn’t really know why. 

“Is Harge your little?” Therese had asked her. Carol had laughed in response, shaking her head. “No no. Harge is a caregiver. It’s actually one of the reasons we’re getting a divorce. He wants to find his little while I’m not too interested in sticking around until he finds them.” Harge had actually wanted them to share his little, something Carol really didn’t have any interest in. She would be forced to watch two people with an incredibly deep bond interact day in and day out while she would be somewhere on the outskirts. 

But she knew that she  _ neede _ d to know whether Therese had a caregiver or not. She just felt a certain pull to the other girl. She had tried to deny it at Frankenberg’s but here in Scotty’s she knew it to be true. 

“And do you have a caregiver, Therese Belivet?” She chanced. And to her utter delight, Therese responded in the affirmative with a beautiful smile on her face.

“Well, there’s Richard. He’d like to be my caregiver.” She added. Before Carol could feel the disappointment settle in, she pressed on. 

“I see, and would you like for him to be your caregiver?” She asked, almost afraid of the answer she’d receive. 

“Well, I’ve never even dropped in front of him.” She admitted with a small smile. “I’ve never felt comfortable enough to.” She added with a shrug. 

That was a good sign right? If they were fated, then surely Therese would have dropped with him by now. Carol got lost in her own thoughts and next thing she knew their food was in front of them. She looked up to see Therese looking rather nervous. Carol should have said something to the girl after her admission, but it was too late now. Instead she moved on and began eating.

“What do you do on Sundays?” She found herself asking. 

“Nothing in particular. What do you do?” Therese replied. 

“Oh, nothing lately.” Carol realized this was her best chance to get to spend more time with the girl in front of her. “If you’d like to come visit me sometime, you’re welcome to.” She offered.

“Would you like to come visit me this Sunday?” She pushed. She looked up at Therese, hoping beyond hope that the girl would say yes. 

“Yes.” She replied simply, smiling softly at the older woman in front of her. Carol smiled back, already planning their activities for the following Sunday.


	3. Chapter 3

Carol pulled up to the curb in front of Frankenberg’s and got out of the car to greet Therese and the boy beside her. She assumed him to be Richard, the boy who wanted to be Therese’s caregiver. She had an immediate dislike for him. The way she could see him talking down to her, the way he stood up tall and puffed up his chest as if to challenge Carol, and especially the way he stood over Therese. This boy wouldn’t make a good caregiver, he seemed too young and selfish. Therese deserved better. 

“Hi,” Richard said in greeting. 

Carol gave him a smile she hoped didn’t look too fake. “Hello, Carol Aird,” she responded.

“Richard Semco. Glad to meet you,” he said as he took Carol’s offered hand. To which she responded a simple, “Likewise.”

Therese fidgeted slightly in between them which they both noticed. Carol looked down at the girl and smiled a warm smile, reaching out for her arm. Richard beat her to it, though, and held onto her other arm. He attempted to spin her around to give her a hug. Therese didn’t move at first, but eventually spun to hug him. He kissed the top of her head and patted her lower back.

“Make sure to be a good girl.” His tone a clear command that rubbed Carol the wrong way. 

Carol laced her fingers with Therese’s hand that was limp at her side and gently pulled her out of his embrace.

“Well we’re off,” she said to Richard without looking at him. She opened the passenger door for Therese and waited for her to slide in. She saw Richard move forward in her peripheral, probably to buckle her seatbelt, so Carol closed to the door right when Therese was fully inside. She waved goodbye to Richard and got in the driver’s side before quickly peeling off the curb before Richard could even blink.

Once they were on the road and away from Richard, the girl beside her let out a deep exhale. “Sorry about him,” Therese whispered. Carol brushed off her concerns and risked a quick glance at the brunette. “So I thought maybe you could help me pick out a Christmas tree and then maybe help Rindy and I decorate it?” She asked hesitantly. 

Therese’s eyes grew wide at the explanation of the day’s plans. She turned to Carol quickly and nodded her head fast. “I’d love to do those things,” she replied, bouncing lightly in her seat. Carol chuckled at the girl’s enthusiasm and continued on the path to the farm. 

As they drove, Carol looked over to Therese every now and then to check she was alright since the girl was being awfully quiet. Each time she looked the girl was doing something Carol decided to store in her mind for later. At first it was just Therese bouncing a little, which then moved to bouncing and lip biting, and finally ended with the girl lightly kicking her legs back and forth. Carol wondered if she was close to dropping, never having seen the childlike actions that Therese was displaying. 

Carol didn’t really know Therese that well if she really thought about it, though. These actions could be normal for all she knew. When they finally pulled up to the farm, Therese almost vibrated with excitement. She unbuckled quickly and thrust the door open to get outside. Carol just laughed behind her and got out of the car herself. She made her way around to be at Therese’s side. 

“I’ve never seen so many Christmas trees before in my life.” Therese said in breathless wonder. Carol immediately recognized the girl’s voice was different. It still held the same softness it always did, but now it was almost lighter - girlier - almost childlike. 

Carol absolutely had no intention of getting the girl to drop on their outing, she just thought picking out a tree would be fun. How would she even know if the girl did drop? Instead of panicking she just took Therese’s hand in her own and squeezed. “Why don’t we start looking then.” She offered to which Therese nodded quickly and started pulling Carol forward. 

In any other situation, she wouldn’t have taken Therese’s hand. She hated when caregivers treated their partners like children even if they weren't dropped at that moment. But she wasn’t too sure of Therese’s position at the moment so she had chanced it anyway. It seemed like Therese didn’t mind all too much as she held onto her hand firmly. 

They walked up and down the lines of trees until Therese saw one that made her stop dead in her tracks. “This one!” She announced loudly, making a few heads turn. 

Carol had never heard the girl speak so loudly and with such childlike excitement. Maybe she had dropped?

The older woman walked up to the tree and then made her way around it to inspect it. “Are you sure you want this one?” She asked the younger girl to which she answered with a determined nod and more bouncing. Carol nodded back and turned to begin walking to the front of the farm in order to purchase the tree. She felt Therese move in step with her and then felt two smaller hands enclose one of hers. She looked down to Therese and saw the girl looking at the ground blushing. Carol squeezed her hands in reassurement and led her back to the front.

.. .. .. 

Therese seemed to sober up on their drive home, which answered the question of whether Therese had dropped or not. She certainly hadn’t but she had been awfully close. As Carol pulled up to the house she looked to her right to see Therese yawning in the seat next to her. Carol reached across and patted her back. “Would you like to take a small nap before dinner while Rindy and I decorate the tree?” If Therese was dropped, then there was no way she would give up the opportunity to decorate the tree, so she wondered what the girl would do. Carol was shocked to see her nod her head and yawn again. So she was right. The tiredness was a clear indicator of how close to dropping she had been. Most littles described dropping almost as a deep sleep but you kept the memories after the drop ended. She had read that a little who came close to a drop but didn’t fully get there would experience extreme fatigue and tiredness. 

Carol squeezed the girl’s shoulder and got out of the car, Therese following behind her. As they got closer to the door, Rindy shot out and ran towards her. Carol picked her up easily and brought her in the house while Therese continued to follow. She put Rindy down and turned to Florence. 

“Would you mind showing Therese to the guest bedroom? She’s feeling awfully tired.” Carol asked the older woman. Florence nodded in response and asked Therese to follow her up the stairs. Therese must have been really tired because she didn’t even look at Carol or Rindy as she made her way upstairs.

She looked down at her daughter and smiled. “That’s Therese. She almost dropped out with Mommy while we were getting a Christmas tree so she’s feeling very tired. You’ll get to meet her later.” She explained to the young girl. Rindy was excited to meet a new friend and asked Carol a bunch of questions about Therese as they decorated the tree. Some were simple enough like, “What’s Therese’s last name?”, and others were harder like, “How old is Therese when she drops?”

Carol knew Rindy was excited about the idea of playing with the other girl but Carol let her down gently and explained that she more likely than not wouldn’t drop with them. It was a good opportunity to give Rindy a lesson in littles so she explained a lot about dropping and when littles were more likely to do it than other times. 

“Do littles drop when they’re scared?” Rindy asked inquisitively. Carol nodded and continued to dress the tree. “Yes, littles often drop when they’re scared of something or someone. Those drops are very hard for the little, though, and are called anxiety drops. Can you say anxiety?” She asked the four year old at her side. Rindy repeated the word back to her perfectly and nodded with a smile. “That’s right,” she praised, “but littles don’t generally feel too well when they wake up from an anxiety drop. That’s when they really need their mommies or daddies with them to keep them safe.”

.. .. ..

The tree was fully decorated when Therese finally woke up and came downstairs. She had napped for about two hours to both Carol and Rindy’s surprise. Dinner was already done and Rindy had started eating without them. Carol sat at the table but preferred to wait until Therese came down to eat with her. 

When Therese made her way to the dining room she smiled at Carol and then at Rindy. Carol stood up and strode over to the other girl. “Are you feeling okay?” She asked. Therese nodded her head and looked down almost in embarrassment. Carol lifted her head up by her chin and kissed her forehead. “Are you hungry?” She asked the blushing girl in front of her. Therese continued to stay silent and only nodded in response. Carol lead the girl to sit next to Rindy and walked to the kitchen to get them plates of dinner. 

She came back to see Rindy talking Therese’s ear off and asking her a multitude of questions. She had just asked how old Therese was when she was dropped when Carol interrupted them. She set the plate in front of Therese and sat with her own. 

They ate in relative silence while Rindy continued to chatter on, forgetting about her question to Therese. 

.. .. ..

Later in the night Therese played the piano softly while Carol attempted to wrap up the presents for Rindy. She had done a majority of them and then started on the train set. Therese couldn’t keep her eyes off of it. Eventually Carol gave up with a huff and made her way over to Therese on the piano. She put both hands on the girl’s shoulders and squeezed lightly. “How long have you been playing?”

Therese thought about it for a while. “About 5 years,” she responded before continuing. 

“It’s beautiful,” Carol praised as she went over to a chair against the wall. She sat with one leg over the other, her head against the wall, as she listened to the soft melody. 

She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, but suddenly she heard the door open. Her eyes flashed open as she quickly got up to see who it was. 

Surprisingly, it was Harge standing there. 

“Harge, what’s wrong?” She asked the man in front of her. Harge squared his shoulders and looked back at his wife.    
“Nothing,” he replied, “does there need to be a problem for me to visit my wife?”

Carol rolled her eyes and slipped her shoes on. She bristled as Harge’s eyes traveled to his left where Therese was. Harge just sighed and made his way over to the kitchen, Carol following.

He got down almost immediately, laying on his side in front of the sink to fix it. She had told him it was acting up a few days ago, she wondered why he felt the need to fix it now. 

It became obvious he just needed an excuse not to look at her as she explained he planned to take Rindy that night.    
Carol was angry, rightly so. She was to have Christmas Eve with Rindy and now she was getting nothing. 

Harge grunted through an explanation of his parent’s wishes and their vacation, but Carol didn’t care. 

Carol looked off to the side and saw Therese slowly inching forward towards the kitchen, like a child trying to subtly listen to their parents fight. She hoped the other girl would stay back, not wanting Harge to be even more enraged than he was now. She knew with absolute certainty that Harge had seen Therese and was mad to see her here. In Harge’s eyes Carol was being a hypocrite and he would be right in a way. Women who talked on and on about not needing a little and then inviting one to their house would generally be viewed as hypocrites. She didn’t really care, though.

They continued to argue over Rindy before Harge just snapped. He messed something up on the sink and sat up with his fists balled into tight fists. He cursed and kicked his legs, almost having a mini tantrum. Carol took a quick glance behind her and hoped Therese wouldn’t be nearby. Unfortunately, she was. 

Harge seemed to follow Carol’s eyes to see Therese looking down the hallway and towards them. He stood quickly, with determination and anger as he stalked towards her. Therese looked spooked and backed up slightly, but Harge kept moving until he was in front of her. Carol followed after him, keeping her eyes solely on him the whole time. She stood in front of him slightly, trying to get him away from Therese. Trying to protect her.

“What are you even doing here?” He asked with fire in his eyes, his voice raised almost as a reprimand. He looked so angry, she was actually a little afraid of the man in front of her. 

She didn’t need to look at Therese to know what had happened, but Harge’s widened eyes just confirmed her suspicion. That and the smell coming from behind her. She slowly turned around to see Therese standing there with big tears in her eyes, drops rolling down her cheeks. As Carol looked lower, she noticed the dark stain on the front of the girl’s dress and the small puddle on the floor around her feet. Carol stood frozen in front of Harge, at a loss for what to do. 

She didn’t have much time to even consider her options before Therese let out a loud and broken wail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it to the big reveal!! Next chapter will be full of little Therese and a nurturing, yet frazzled, Carol. Hope you're all as excited as I am for the next part!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't stop writing after chapter 3 so here's a quick chapter 4!

Carol remained frozen in place as the little in front of her continued to loudly cry. Thank goodness they had a large estate so they didn't have their neighbors too close. Harge took a few steps forward to try to calm the girl down but Therese shook her head quickly and took a few steps back, her wet shoes squeaking on the floor.

Therese’s eyes snapped to Carol’s, the terror on the little's face forcing the caregiver into action.

“Back up Harge, you'll only make it worse,” she snapped at the man.

She stepped towards the girl with a slight hesitancy, not wanting to scare her as well. When she was about halfway between Therese and Harge she shifted over a bit to try to cover the man from Therese’s view. The little continued crying even as Carol was stepping closer. Once Carol was deemed close enough by Therese, the little waddled forward, and fell into Carol’s arms before crying even harder. Carol was starting to get worried about the amount of tears the girl was letting out, as well as how her throat must be feeling. 

Carol knelt on the ground, not caring about the pee on the floor around her. Therese dropped to the ground as well and wrapped her arms around Carol’s neck as she snuggled into the older woman’s shoulder. Her cries began to subside as Carol held her and rocked her slowly while humming softly in the girl’s ear. 

“Is Therese okay?” A sweet voiced asked from the top of the stairs. Everyone except Therese looked up to see Rindy’s worried face. 

Carol rubbed Therese’s back as she beckoned her daughter forward. “She's fine, sweetie, she just dropped, that's all.” Carol explained to her daughter. 

Rindy scrunched her nose at the picture in front of her. “Then why is she crying like that?” The young girl asked. 

“She just got a little scared, but she's okay now, right, Therese?” Carol prompted the little in her arms. Instead of an answer, Therese just burrowed further into Carol’s shoulder. 

“Did she have an anxiety drop?” Rindy asked her mother in shock to which Carol just nodded her head before kissing Therese on top of hers.

“Oh no!” Rindy exclaimed. “Can I help Therese feel better?”

“How about you and I go give Therese a bath? Can you help Mommy give this little one a bath?” Carol asked her daughter to which Rindy nodded excitedly. 

“She can play with my bath toys,” Rindy exclaimed. 

At the sound of a bath Therese finally pulled back to look at Carol’s face while she sucked on her thumb and whined. Carol began to stand up which just made the little whine even louder around her thumb. 

“Rindy, honey, will go upstairs and start the bath?” Rindy ran back up the stairs upon Carol’s question. A few beats later she could hear the water had been turned on. 

Carol reached down to take Therese’s arms to pull her up but the little just grunted and lifted her arms to be picked up instead. Carol stood there conflicted. She knew she couldn't pick the girl up, no way was she strong enough. And she certainly didn't want Harge picking her up. Therese whined again, the sound louder when the girl’s thumb wasn't in her mouth. 

“How old do you think she is?” Harge asked behind her. Before she could even begin to formulate an answer, he kept going. “She hasn't said a single word yet so I doubt she's anywhere over 3 years old and I've never seen a little under 1 so she must be somewhere in between.”

Carol stood in shock once again. She had assumed Therese would be young when she considered her dropped age, but she never would have believed the girl would be a baby or toddler and not a child of about 7 or 8. Would that mean she'd have to get the little some diapers for the night? Would she eat a normal breakfast if she woke up still in her headspace? 

She was brought out of her thoughts by Harge’s hand on her shoulder which made Therese let out a cry. Carol jumped into action and bent over to attempt to pick Therese up. Once she started the girl surprisingly helped her out a great deal by first standing and then practically jumping into her arms before wrapping herself tightly around the older woman. Therese was basically carrying herself with her legs and arms wound around her. 

Carol slowly made her way to the stairs and then up them with a little bit of difficulty while Therese snuggled into her neck and sucked on her thumb again. Carol rubbed her back as she entered the bathroom to see the bath filled a little too high with bubbles and toys everywhere. 

Therese perked up at the sight of the bubbles and toys and squirmed to get down. Carol gladly let her on her feet and the girl sat down immediately looking up at Carol so she began to take the little’s clothes off for the bath. 

It registered with her just how wrong it felt to be removing Therese’s clothes without her express permission. This was why anxiety drops were so scary. Normally a little would give consent to these sorts of actions with a caregiver before they even dropped so it wasn't any worry. But Carol had to clean her and she couldn't clean the girl off while she still wore her soaked dress.

Once she was fully naked, Carol helped Therese into the bath while Rindy knelt in front of it to hopefully play with Therese. Carol stood up on shaky legs and sat on the toilet while she listened to her daughter explain all the toys to Therese and tell her their names. Therese thankfully seemed comfortable with Rindy which Carol appreciated immensely. 

“Five minutes of play and then Mommy has to clean Therese up, okay?” she asked mainly to her daughter to which she just nodded and kept playing. 

Carol stepped out of the bathroom and found Harge standing right outside the door.

“I feel awful,” he admitted. 

“Good you should. Jesus Christ, Harge, you actually made the poor girl have an anxiety drop.” Carol wanted to scream at him but she needed to keep her voice low so Therese wouldn't start crying again. 

Of course a small part of her had hoped Therese would drop, that she'd be comfortable enough to drop with her. But this was a completely different story. What would she do tomorrow morning? What was she meant to do even now? And then an idea hit her.

“Just listen in on them and make sure everything sounds okay. Don't let Therese see you, I want to keep her calm.” 

Harge just nodded along not really knowing what his wife had planned. But Carol didn't wait to answer any of his questions as she went back down the stairs to her phone. She called an all too familiar number and waited three rings before the phone was picked up. 

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Abby hissed into the phone. Carol actually didn't have a clue what time it was. She looked to the clock in shock as it read back ‘11:30’. When had it gotten so late?

“I'm terribly sorry, Abby, darling, but I've gotten myself into quite the mess.” And then Carol retold the events up until that moment and waited as the line was silent. A few beats later she finally heard Abby exhale. 

“What do you need me to do?” her friend asked sincerely.

Carol didn't really know what she needed Abby to do, though, that was the problem. 

“Abby, I have no idea where to even start. I have no idea how old she is but Harge and I believe she's probably around 2. And we didn't bond after she dropped and I was just so  _ hopeful _ to the point where I started to become so sure. Soon Harge and Rindy will be leaving and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do next.”

The line was silent and Carol wondered if Abby had fallen asleep. Finally she sighed and responded.

“Give me about 30 minutes to get to your house. I'll stop somewhere on my way, hopefully something will be open.”

Carol started thanking her friend profusely but the line had already disconnected. She put the phone back on the hook and ran back upstairs to Therese. 

The sight before her as she stepped into the bathroom brought a smile to her face. Therese was in the tub, smiling around the thumb in her mouth, with a duck in her hand while Rindy had another duck. Rindy was quacking and making Therese let out the cutest giggle she had ever heard. 

“Mommy watch this!” Rindy excitedly pointed to Therese. “Say Rindy.” She prompted the little. Therese thought about it for a second before shouting out, “‘Indy’!” And started giggling again while pointing to Rindy. Rindy clapped her hands and they both squealed in excitement. 

Carol stepped closer to the tub and knelt down beside her daughter. “That's very good Therese.” She praised before reaching forward to wipe some hair from Therese’s forehead and lightly kissed it. 

The reaction was immediate. It felt almost as if the wind was completely knocked out of her and time stood still. She leaned back to look at Therese’s face to see her eyes wide. Finally the little broke out into a big grin and bounced in the bath, water sloshing on the sides.

“Mama!” She yelled and wrapped her soaked and bubbly arms around Carol’s neck. Once again she found herself frozen in place that night as water dripped all over the floor and her clothes.

Rindy must have gotten up and left because next thing she could hear was Rindy in the bedroom with Harge excitedly explaining how they had just bonded. Right here in the bathroom. Harge would be mad, most likely jealous. This was the exact like he had wanted for them but it was happening to Carol instead. The very same woman who never wanted it to happen before Therese came along. 

She must have been frozen for a while because Therese pulled back to look at her, worry written all over her face. Carol cupped the little’s cheek and kissed her forehead once again. 

“Let's get you all cleaned up before your Aunt Abby comes over. I'm sure she'd like to meet a squeaky clean girl, wouldn't you?”

Therese just nodded, even if she didn't fully understand what was happening and sat back to let Carol wash her. 

Carol grabbed the bucket by the side of the tub that she used to wash Rindy’s hair and filled it with soapy water. She covered the girl’s forehead and tipped her head back before pouring the water on her hair. She repeated the process again to make sure it was fully wet before getting some shampoo. 

She ran her fingers through Therese's hair and lightly massaged the shampoo into her scalp. Therese hummed appreciatively and settled back a bit more comfortably. Once the shampoo was done her hair was rinsed once again and the conditioner was grabbed next. She lathered it up in her hands and wove them through the little’s hair making the girl hum happily. 

Carol was surprised at how calm and quiet Therese was being in the bath. Rindy always wanted to squirm and play but Therese was content to just sit and let Carol clean her. She grabbed a washcloth and added a generous amount of soap before handing it to the little. 

Therese looked at the cloth in her hand and then handed it back to Carol. 

Carol considered handing the washcloth back to the girl in the bath, not feeling too comfortable with the idea of washing the girl’s body, without her explicit consent. But what else was she supposed to do in this situation? 

She grabbed the cloth and ran it up and down the girl’s arms, Therese holding each arm out as it was being washed. Rindy came back in the bathroom while the little was being scrubbed down. 

Carol made quick work of the girl’s chest and legs before putting the cloth back in the tub and grabbed the bucket to rinse Therese’s hair. 

“Would you like to play with Rindy a little bit more before we get you out of the cold water?” Carol asked the little. Therese nodded her head and handed one duck to Rindy and another duck to Carol. Carol had no idea what to do with the duck so she watched to see what Rindy would do.

“Hope I'm not interrupting anything.” A voice behind them said.

Carol looked up behind her to see Abby in the doorway. She got up off of her knees and moved over to her friend to take outside. As she was walking away she heard Therese whine so she turned back around. 

“Mama?” The girl asked with a pout and a small whine. Carol flushed at being called ‘Mama’ in front of Abby, turning back to glance at her friend. Abby had one eyebrow raised but didn’t say anything. Carol stepped forward and kissed the top of the girl’s clean head. “Mama just needs to talk to her friend for a second. I’ll be right back, okay? You play with Rindy.” 

“‘Indy!” Therese responded excitedly which made Rindy giggle. They went back to playing as Carol stepped out of the bathroom, Abby following behind. Once they stepped into Carol’s bedroom next to the bathroom, Abby spoke. 

“Harge let me in. He seems pretty shaken up.” Carol huffed in response. “Imagine how I’m feeling then.” She replied bitterly. 

Abby chuckled at her friend’s attitude. “You didn’t tell me on the phone that the two of you bonded.” She didn’t sound offended or hurt, just curious. 

“That’s because we hadn’t yet,” Carol responded before continuing. “It happened when I was giving her a bath. I kissed her forehead and time seemed to just stop. And in that moment we both just knew, I guess.” Carol shrugged, not too sure how else to explain it. 

“Carol, that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you.” Abby wrapped Carol up in her arms and held her tightly. Next thing Carol knew it, she was crying in her friend’s arms, her shoulders shaking. Abby held her as she cried it out for a while, rubbing her back softly. Once Carol had calmed down enough she stepped back. “I just feel so lost. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” 

Abby nodded in understanding before showing her the bag she had brought with her. “Well, here’s hopefully a start.” She said as she dumped the contents on the bed. Inside the bag were a few cloth diapers, a bottle, a pack of pacifiers, and a small container of Vaseline. “I had a few things around my house for Jacob.” Abby explained. Jacob was Abby’s new girlfriend’s little. They must have been getting serious if Abby was keeping little supplies in her house. “Let me grab Therese out of the bath and get her ready for bed. Rindy should be leaving soon anyway.” Carol explained before leaving the room to head back to the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom she moved over to drain the tub. Neither girls were playing anymore, both looking too exhausted to even pretend with the ducks. When the tub was empty she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Therese’s body before helping her to stand. She dried her off quickly and scooped her up, the little wrapping her arms and legs around Carol immediately. She carried Therese on her hip and held Rindy’s hand. Harge was waiting in the hallway for Rindy so Carol let her go with her father to pack up for their vacation. Carol turned towards her room where Abby was still waiting.

She laid Therese down on the bed and cupped the tired little’s face. Her eyelids were fluttering closed but she held onto Carol’s hand against her face in a tight grip. Abby cooed off to the side, making both of them look at her. “Abby, this is Therese. Therese will you say hi to your Aunt Abby?” Therese hid her face behind Carol’s hand in response and shook her head. 

“Well someone’s a little shy I see.” Abby responded kindly. Carol just nodded and kissed Therese’s cheek, which prompted the little to go back to just holding Carol’s hand so she could look up at the older woman. “Will you let Mama have her hand back so she can put your diaper on, please?” Carol tried to reason with the girl. Therese shook her head no and held on tighter, which made Carol sigh. One handed diapering it was then. 

She first reached for the packet of pacifiers, which Abby had thankfully already opened for her. She put one in front of Therese to let her decide for herself if she wanted it or not. The little just opened her mouth in response so Carol popped it inside. Therese began sucking on it immediately, her eyes drooping quickly which gave Carol the ability to pull her hand back. She made quick work of the diaper; diapering was thankful much like riding a bike. She pinned the diaper closed and looked down at her mostly naked little. It wouldn’t do for the girl to go to sleep in just a diaper, especially not in winter. She walked over to the dresser and pulled an undershirt out of one of Harge’s old drawers. 

She helped the tired little sit up and pulled the shirt down over her head. Due to Harge’s height, the shirt almost reached to the little’s knees. Quite frankly, she looked absolutely adorable. Even Abby let out a small squeal upon the sight of Therese. 

Therese looked exhausted so she wanted to put the girl to bed, but she assumed the little wouldn’t let her leave the room to say goodbye to everyone and leave her all alone. So she scooped the girl back up in her arms to go downstairs. Therese’s grasp on her was much weaker than it was before, the dead weight of the tired girl made difficult to carry, but she would be able to do it for a few minutes. 

Abby followed as she went to the hallway and then down to Rindy’s room. Rindy was all done packing and her and Harge were just about to leave the room. “Go say goodbye to your mother.” Harge told their daughter. She moved forward at a tired and glacial pace before wrapping her arms around Carol’s waist. Carol wrapped her right arm around Rindy’s shoulders and bent over to kiss her head. “Have fun with Daddy, okay sweetie?” Carol asked.

“Okay, Mommy.” Rindy responded. “Have fun with Therese!” The girl added on. At the sound of her name, Therese lifted her head from Carol’s shoulder and looked down at Rindy. “Bye ‘Indy.” She said softly, opening and closing her fist in a wave. 

Carol and Harge exchanged pleasant goodbyes, but Harge knew better than to step too close so as to not scare Therese since the little refused to even look at him, burying her face in her caregivers neck instead. 

After they left the house was quiet with just the three of them. Carol had offered to Abby to sleepover so she didn’t have to drive back so late. It was the least she could do with how Abby was helping her. Abby agreed easily and went straight to the guest room, leaving Carol and Therese to head back to the master bedroom. Once inside, Carol laid the tired little down on her bed before grabbing pajamas for herself to change into. She changed quickly and went back to the bed, lowering the comforter for them both to get in.

Carol settled back on the pillows and turned towards the little who was already more than half asleep. Therese gravitated towards the warmth of Carol and snuggled into her neck, sucking away on her new pacifier, her fists tight in the caregiver’s shirt. Carol assumed Therese would be cuddly due to the anxiety drop, but she wondered how tomorrow would treat them. Would Therese wake up little or big? Would she feel sick from the emotional upheaval of the drop? Would she hate Carol?

The questions continued to swim through her brain as Therese slept soundly next to her, the only sound in the room being the light suckling of the pacifier. The caregiver lie awake in bed for hours before the rhythmic sucking of the pacifier finally lulled her to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
